Waves Athletics

MALIBU, Calif. - This Week at Pepperdine looks at last week's highlights and this week's events, including the women's soccer team, which will make an appearance on the Pac-12 Network on Friday before coming home to face San Diego State on Sunday, and the cross country teams, which host the Pepperdine Invitational on Saturday.

Also, the women's volleyball team heads to Kentucky for the Bluegrass Battle, the men's water polo team visits rival Loyola Marymount in a Wells Fargo PCH Cup battle and the women's tennis team begins its season at a tournament in Midland, Texas.

In our video, we look at the top plays from last weekend's women's volleyball Pepperdine Invitational and highlight some of the week's top performers. Rylee Baisden of women's soccer opens the show, and we also speak with water polo coach Terry Schroeder, head coach Robert Radnoti and women's tennis student-athlete Lorraine Guillermo.

This week's events:

WOMEN'S SOCCERFriday: at No. 17 USC (Los Angeles, Calif./McAlister Field), 2:30 p.m.
Sunday: vs. San Diego State (Tari Frahm Rokus Field), 1 p.m.
Tickets: Single match tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for alumni, children, seniors and students. Tickets are free for Pepperdine students, faculty and staff with a valid Pepperdine ID.
Television: The Pepperdine-USC match will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
Multimedia: Pepperdine's home match vs. San Diego State can be viewed for free via WaveCasts at PepperdineSports.com, and GameTracker is available for both matches this weekend.

The women's soccer team continues its four-match road trip with a Friday showdown at crosstown rival No. 17 USC at McAlister Field. The Women of Troy are the fourth top-25 opponent for Pepperdine in six matches this season. The Waves then return home to face 2012 NCAA quarterfinalist San Diego State on Sunday. MAC Hermann Award watch list selection Lynn Williams continues to dazzle in the early going and has five goals (two game-winners) and 11 points. The big story for Pepperdine is its extreme youth. Through five matches, head coach Tim Ward has typically started four true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen.

It's a rare opportunity to see the Waves run on campus, as this is the first large-scale meet at Pepperdine since 2007. The picturesque setting will only be heightened as the competitors race by the Waves of Flags display in Alumni Park. Among the schools expected to compete are Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara. It will serve as a preview meet for the West Coast Conference Championships, which the Waves will host for the first time on November 2. The women's race is at 9 a.m. and the men's competition is at 10 a.m.

The men's water polo team blew out a pair of overmatched Division III teams last Saturday at the UCLA Invitational. Returning redshirts were the big story for the Waves offensively as sophomore Luke Hewko scored 10 goals with five against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and five again vs. La Verne. Senior Danny White added five goals including a first half hat trick against the Stags. Now the Waves face their first real test against rival LMU in a Wells Fargo PCH Cup meeting. In the preseason ratings, the Waves were #8 and the Lions were #13.

The women's volleyball team hits the road for the first time in 2013 after hosting two home tournaments to open the season. Most recently, the Waves placed second at the Pepperdine Invitational behind all-tournament performances by Katie Messing, Samantha Cash and Taylor Racich. Messing paced the squad with 3.83 kills per set, including a career-high 18 kills versus UC Santa Barbara. Cash led the entire tournament with 1.67 blocks per set while Racich added 3.00 kills per set earned at a .342 hitting percentage. Pepperdine will truly be tested at the Bluegrass Battle in Lexington, Ky., taking on an AVCA Top 25-ranked team for the first time this year in #19 Kentucky.

The women's tennis team enters its first competition of the fall tournament season, sending five student-athletes to the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational in Midland, Texas. Members of the team playing include Lorraine Guillermo, Michaela Capannolo, Danielle Feneridis, Matea Cutura and Yuki Chiang. The last time the Waves competed at this tournament in 2011, Ale Granillo (a current senior) won the singles crown, while Guillermo and Khunpak Issara (now graduated) reached the semifinals of the doubles draw. The Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational is unique in that players and coaches are housed with members of the club.